A Paris appeals court has upheld the conviction of far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzling European Union parliamentary funds. The court found that Le Pen's National Rally party embezzled 2.8 million euros over more than 11 years. While the conviction was upheld, the court shortened Le Pen's ban on running for public office to 15 months. She was also sentenced to a three-year jail term, with two years suspended and one year requiring the use of an electronic ankle tag for monitoring.
This ruling potentially re-opens a path for the leader to run in the 2027 presidential election to succeed Emmanuel Macron. However, the requirement to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet presents significant political and logistical difficulties. Le Pen had previously stated she would not stand for election under such conditions, leading to questions about whether the National Rally would instead be led by her 30-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella.
Despite the sentence, Le Pen announced in a televised interview that she intends to pursue her fourth presidential run. She denied that the National Rally had a system to embezzle funds, maintaining that the party acted in good faith. Le Pen has indicated she will appeal the decision to France's highest court, suggesting that the electronic tag may not be necessary.